There’s a sense that, with the proliferation of screens and devices, young people are turning away from TV faster than the rest of the country in a way that predicts that cord-cutting is poised to fell the TV industry. In fact, Nielsen’s latest cross-platform report shows that teens (a) have always watched less TV than older Americans; (b) are watching slightly less traditional TV than they used to; but (c) aren't exactly fleeing the living room screen.

A Kaiser study found that more than 70 percent of teens had a TV in their room:

Meanwhile, the average teenager still watches almost three hours of television per day. That's about half as much as the 65+ crowd, but still. Twenty hours a week? That's a part-time job.

Another graph (this one showing young U.S. and Canadian audiences) offers a glimpse at television's future, if we buy the hypothesis that young people guide national attitudes toward media. Let's break this down: One in three young people only watches old-fashioned TV; 12 percent cuts the cord and doesn't pay for the cable bundle at all; and the rest—about a half—pay for TV and mix in OTT (over-the-top, or Internet-enabled TV).

This suggests a near future for TV where new technologies aren't replacing television so much as complementing TV. When you count up all the different ways to watch a TV show (live, saved, time-delayed, on Netflix, on Hulu), as Peter Kafka writes, you're watching more TV than ever.

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.

Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he writes about economics, labor markets, and the media. He is the author of Hit Makers.